Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2009-10: Jimmy Vesey scored 13 goals with 17 assists in 31 games as a sophomore at the Belmont Hill School in Massachusetts.

2010-11: Vesey played for Belmont Hill as a junior in what would be legendary coach Ken Martin’s final season. Vesey scored 23 goals with 12 assists and had 30 penalty minutes in 32 games. He committed to playing college hockey at Harvard in either 2012-13 or 2013-14. Vesey was ranked 150th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings but was not selected in his first year of eligibility for the NHL Draft.

2011-12: Vesey played for the South Shore Kings in the Eastern Junior Hockey League, foregoing his senior season at Belmont Hill, and was the league’s leading scorer and Most Valuable Player. In 45 games he scored 48 goals with 43 assists. In six playoff games he scored 5 goals with 3 assists and had 2 penalty minutes. South Shore reached the playoff semifinals after finishing in first in the Southern Division in the regular season. Vesey was invited to the NHL Draft Combine and was ranked 77th amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings prior to the 2012 NHL Draft. Vesey was chosen by the Nashville Predators in third round, 66th overall, of the 2012 NHL Draft.

2012-13: Vesey went from being a “bubble” player to skating on the top line for the gold medal-winning USA squad at the 2013 World Junior Championship and was Harvard’s third-leading scorer as a freshman. One of the final players selected for Team USA, he ended the tournament skating with high profile scorers J.T. Miller (NYR) and Johnny Gaudreau (Calgary), scoring 1 goal with 4 assists and finishing +3 with 2 penalty minutes in seven games. The USA defeated Sweden, 3-2, in the tournament final. Vesey tied for the team lead in goals (11) and had seven assists, finishing -11 with 25 penalty minutes in what was a difficult season for Harvard. After losing four players early in the year, the Crimson finished last in ECAC Hockey.

2013-14: Vesey was the leading scorer for Harvard as a sophomore in what was another tough season for the Crimson. He scored 13 goals with nine assists and was minus-six with 14 penalty minutes in 31 games. Expected to be one of the top teams in ECAC Hockey following the turbulent 2012-13 season, Harvard finished tied with Dartmouth for 10th in the 12-team league and was swept by Yale in a two-game first round playoff series.

2014-15: Vesey was the ECAC Hockey Player of the Year and a finalist for college hockey’s Hobey Baker award as a junior at Harvard. He finished the year skating for the USA in the 2015 World Championship. Vesey scored 32 goals with 26 assists and was +23 with 21 penalty minutes in 37 games. The Crimson, after finishing sixth in the regular season, defeated regular season champion Quinnipiac (5-2) and Colgate (4-2) on back-to-back nights to capture the ECAC Hockey playoff title, earning a berth in the NCAA tournament. Nebraska-Omaha defeated Harvard, 4-2, in the NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal. Vesey had 3 assists and was +1 with no penalties in nine games for the USA at the World Championship. The USA finished third, defeating the host Czech Republic, 3-0, in the bronze medal game.

Talent Analysis

Vesey is a big winger who is a skilled passer and sees the game well. He is more than just an up-and-down player as he possesses skill and smarts that make him a dangerous player in the offensive zone. Vesey does not shy away from the physical game but could be more active in that area. His defensive zone coverage is inconsistent at times.

Future

With Vesey indicating that he will not sign with Nashville, the Predators elected to trade Vesey's negotiating rights to the Buffalo Sabres for a 2016 third round pick. Vesey is projected to be a strong-two way forward with offensive elements to his game.

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